State-Licensed Facilities

The City of Orange Fire Department conducts State Fire Clearance inspections of State-licensed residential facilities and educational facilities. People who are unable to care for themselves due to age or developmental disability, or are placed non-voluntarily by the State occupy these facilities. Please contact Fire Safety Specialist Janna Doty at (714) 288-2553 with any questions regarding these facilities.

Large Family Day-Care Requirements

A Large Family Day-Care Home is a provider's own home licensed to provide day-care for periods less than 24 hours a day for 9 to 14 persons, including children under the age of 10 years who reside at the home. They require operation licenses from the State of California, and may be classified as "Adult Day-care Facilities, Family Day-care Homes, Adult Day-support Centers, Day-care Centers for Mildly Ill Children, Infant Care Centers, and School Age Child Day-care Centers." As part of the licensing process, the City of Orange Fire Department assists home operators by conducting site inspections to achieve a fire clearance. Fire clearance requirements include, but are not limited to, the following:

A preinspection fee of $50 to be paid prior to a site inspection.

A permit application must be obtained from the Planning Division. Contact the Planning Division at (714) 744-7220 for an application.

A business license is required. Contact the Finance Department at (714) 744-2270 for information on how to obtain a business license.

Large family day-care homes shall be equipped with state fire marshal-approved and listed single-station residential-type smoke detectors. The number and placement of smoke detectors shall be determined by the Fire Department.

Large family day-care homes shall be equipped with a portable fire extinguisher and have a minimum 2-A:10-B:C rating. All fire extinguishers shall have a California State Fire Marshal tag certifying that they have been serviced within the past 12 months.

Every large family day-care home shall provide and maintain devices suitable for sounding a fire alarm. The location of the fire alarm and plan submittal must be approved by the Fire Department. One manual pull station and a bell or horn must be provided. An electrical and building permit must be obtained from the Building Department, and the work must be completed by a "C-10 inches state-licensed electrical contractor. The following information must be submitted for the fire alarm plan approval by the Fire Department:

Submit four sets of plans.

Identify on the floor plan the manufacturer name, model number and California State Fire Marshal listing number for each device.

Provide the manufacturer specifications and California State Fire Marshal listing sheets for each device.

Identify on the plan that the fire alarm is on a dedicated circuit.

Identify on the plan how the wiring is connected from the main electrical panel to the devices.

Identify on the circuit breaker of the panel with a non-removable label or lettering to include "FIRE ALARM DO not TURN-OFF."

The plans shall be signed by the person taking responsibility of the design and installation.

Identify on the plan the manufacturer and gauge size of the wire to be used.

The Building Division must conduct an electrical inspection prior to the Fire Department inspection.

The Building Division inspection request phone number is (714) 744-7216.

The Building Division office number is (714) 744-7200.

Room used for day-care purposes shall not be located above the first story. The use of the second story is prohibited unless the home is equipped with fire sprinklers.

All large family day-care homes shall be provided with two exits which are remotely located from each other. Every required exit shall be of a size to permit the installation of a door not less than 32 inches in clear width and not less than 6 feet 8 inches in height. A manually operated horizontal sliding door may be used as one of the two exits.

Exit doors, including manually operated horizontal sliding doors, shall be openable from the inside without use of a key or any special knowledge or effort.

Fire drills are recommended once a month. Post an emergency evacuation plan showing the primary and secondary exit routes on the floor plan.

Contact Information

Please contact the City of Orange Fire Prevention Bureau with any questions you might have. Fire Safety Specialist Janna Doty may be reached Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. at (714) 288-2553.